Chapter 86 Are you, my new Mommy?
Rory woke to a quiet house. Em was practicing tap dancing on her bladder. As she was headed down the stairs, after using the bathroom, she heard Logan on the phone in the office. Logan was raising his voice. She decided on her way to the kitchen for coffee, she would stop by the office to see what is bothering him.
Rory knocked on the door frame causing Logan to look up. He smiled at Rory. "Okay, I guess I don't have a choice. Tell him that I will look at my schedule and get back to him…. Yes, Bobbi. I know. Bye," Logan said into the phone before hanging up.
"Bobbi with the long legs?" Rory asked, smiling. She was long over her jealousy.
"Yes, Bobbi with the long legs," Logan said. Before Rory could ask what the call was about, Logan asked "When are your dad and Lana expected?"
Rory looked at her watch, "Anytime now." Right on time, the gate buzzer went off.
"That must be them," Logan said as he opened the gate with his computer.
"I forgot to tell him we changed the gate code," Rory said as she headed to the door.
Rory opened the door before he had a chance to ring the bell. "Didn't want you to get lost in a Deja Vu and forget to ring the bell." She told him. Christopher laughed. "How many times have you stood outside this door not wanting to ring the doorbell."
Christopher and Rory laughed. Lana just giggled. This must be an inside joke, she thought. "Come in, the boys are upstairs. I believe they have been granted screen time. I'll go get them" Rory said as she turned around to head up the stairs. "Dad, you know your way around. Just have a seat in the living room."
"Rory," Christopher said, stopping her in her tracks. "We would like to talk with you and Logan first before we visit with the boys."
"Okay, Let me go see what is keeping Logan." Rory said as she walked down the hall toward the office only to meet Logan coming out of the office. "Dad and Lana want to talk to us before they visit with the boys," Rory told Logan.
"Okay, I was just using the bathroom before greeting our guest," Logan said.
Logan offered Christopher and Lana a drink. Both requested water. Logan went to the kitchen to get 4 bottles of water. Christopher and Lana were sitting on the sofa and Rory was sitting on the loveseat. Rory and Lana were chit-chatting about the baby and the upcoming shower when Logan returned with 4 bottles of water and joined her on the loveseat. Rory was shyly or slyly trying to get a look at Lana's ring finger. She could not see. Logan handed Rory a bottle of water and held her hand, shaking his head. "If you have something you would like to discuss with us before the boys come down, now is the time. When they realize we have company and that it is their Grampa, they will be down there in a flash" Rory said. Logan squeezed her hand. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to see Lana's hand and reminding both of them that Christopher is a Grampa.
"Well," Christopher started, "I asked Lana to marry me and she said yes."
"Oh, wow Dad, Lana congratulations" Rory said standing to hug Christopher and Lana's neck, while Logan stood to shake his father-in-law's hand.
"Congratulations Christopher. You got her to say yes the first time." Logan said laughing. He and Christopher were enjoying Logan's joke until Christopher looked up to see Rory's eyes had tears in them.
"Wow, Rory, Logan was just making a joke," Christopher said.
"Ace, baby, we have talked about this. We are where we are supposed to be. If we had gotten married when I asked after graduation, you would not have Chris and Will, and I would not be the man I am now." Logan said as he put his arm around Rory and she bared her head in his chest.
Logan and Rory sat down. She dried her eye with the tissue on the end table. "I'm sorry. I am happy for you. These hormones are going to be the death of me." Rory said.
"Oh, honey, It's okay," Lana said. Rory was still sniffling,
"Have you set a date?" Rory asked as she dried her eyes.
"Yes," Lana said. "May 21, at the County Club. I talked to Doug, He said that the Rose Room was not booked. I was hoping to have it outside on the patio and the reception in the Rose Room."
"Oh, that will be lovely," Rory said. She was smiling. She was trying to make it show all the way to her eyes.
"We have also already reserved the Rose Room for our engagement party. My aunt and uncle are hosting." Lana told them.
Rory stood up. "Let me go get my calendar." She left the room to go to the office. Logan watched her as she walked down the hall.
He turned to Chris. "She is really happy for you, it's just all the stress from Billy's wreck, Melissa and now my mom is showing her ignorance."
"That's fine Logan." Chris told him.
Rory returned with a calendar. "Just tell me what you need me to do." Rory said. Sitting down next to Logan and opening her calendar.
"The engagement party will be on April the 15th." Lana told her, she also pulled out her calendar. "That is the only available date." Lana said. Logan looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"Rory, we would love for you to help, but I don't want to put any more stress on you," Christopher said. Rory smiled, but you could see the disappointment in her eyes.
"I'll tell you what," Lana said. "I will send you an agenda. You will be able to see who I am meeting and what shops I am looking at, and you can decide on that day if you feel up to being involved." Lana said.
"Ace, I think that is a great idea." Logan told her.
"Rory, we do want the boys to be the ring bearer if that is okay?" Christopher asked.
"I was planning on asking you to be a bridesmaid, but I didn't think you would want to be standing up there in front of everyone when you are so far along in your pregnancy," Lana said.
Rory smiled and nodded her head. "Oh, no, that is not a problem. The boys will be thrilled." Rory said.
"The agenda I send you will also have the place and the time that Christopher and his groomsmen will be fitted for their tuxes," Lana said.
"I'll pick the boys up and take them with me when we go," Christopher said.
"Just let us know when and where and I will have the boys there," Logan said. Rory nodded.
They were discussing the flowers and the music when the twins realized Grampa was in the house. Both boys jumped in Christopher's lap.
"Grampa, I didn't know you were here." Chris said,
"Well, I am. Did you say hey to ?" Christopher asked.
"Hey, Hi!" Both of the twins said, smiling shyly. Christopher and Lana have been dating for about 3 years. The boys have known her most of their short life, but they were both shy around her. Christopher played with the boys, tickling them and making them laugh. He wasn't around much when Rory was a baby. He and Rory have talked about this. There are no hard feelings. It is wonderful to see what a good Gramp he is to the boys.
Karson and Ricky entered from the patio. They stopped to speak but headed downstairs to play a video game. Oh, of course, the boys wanted to go too.
After they left, Christopher asked Rory, "are they dating, or whatever it is young people do these days. I asked Gigi about a boy she hangs out with and I am told 'we are not dating, we just hang out'" Christopher said laughing.
"Yes," Logan said. "They are dating, but they both have a set of rules they have to abide by while they live in this house."
Christopher laughed. "Don't let them on the balcony."
"Dad!" Rory said and then started laughing. Lana and Logan just shrugged their shoulders. Inside joke.
"Rory, I have a favor to ask," Christopher said. Rory looked at him and nodded. "We are getting married on May the 21st. We will not leave for our two-week honeymoon until Sunday after brunch. I was wondering if Gigi can stay with you while we are gone?"
Rory looked at Logan. Logan looked at Rory. They seemed to be having a conversation without talking. "Sure dad, that will be fine." Rory said.
"Good, just so you know the house rules that apply to Karson and Ricky apply to Gigi. She is a bit younger than them, just use your own judgment. I will talk with her to make sure she understands." Christopher said.
"That's fine Dad. Gigi is welcome to say anytime she wants. But I have to ask. Why is she not going to France this summer? She usually stays with Sherry for the summer." Rory asked.
"Sherry got married a few months ago. She did not tell Gigi until after the wedding. Gigi has met the man. He has 3 sons, one of them is Gigi's age. He makes Gigi uncomfortable. When Gigi expressed her concern to Sherry, George got mad." Chris paused.
"George is Sherry's new husband. He told Sherry that he did not want Gigi back in his house. He didn't have time to worry about false accusations. Sherry called me when she put Gigi on a plane home. I'm sure you can guess that I was not happy. I picked Gigi up at the airport. I don't think she has ever flown commercial. I always send the jet to pick her up. She was mad. That was last summer. I don't think she has spoken to Sherry since. Sherry has called me several times to start with because Gigi wouldn't answer the phone when she called. I told Sherry that I would not make Gigi go back or answer her phone. I talked with Gigi. Told her that Sherry is her mother and I thought it would be a good idea to talk with her. Gigi told me she would talk with Sherry when she got ready. I said Okay" Christopher sighed.
"Wow, dad, I didn't know. I wish you or Gigi would have told me what was going on." Rory said. She was a little hurt that Gigi didn't tell her what she was going through. She wants to help Gigi all she can.
"You and Logan had just reconnected and Gigi didn't want anyone to know that her mother did not want her. I tried to explain to her, but she has it in her head that Sherry chose George and his sons over her." Christopher said.
Rory just sat there processing what her dad said. When Rory was growing up, her dad showed up every few months. Sometimes he stayed for a few hours, sometimes he stayed a month or so. Even if you didn't see him for several months in a row, she knew, she always knew that her dad loved her and that all she had to do is call him and he would come to her. Her dad didn't really settle down until after his grandpa died. It wasn't long after his grandpa died that his dad died. Christopher grew up then.
Logan shook Rory's shoulder, "Ace, your dad, and Lana are leaving. Are you daydreaming?"
"Baby brain is getting real." Rory said as she stood up, smiled, and took Logan's hand. "I'm sorry, I was in another world. Lana, Dad, congratulations again." She hugged Christopher and Lana before they headed out the door.
When they left, Logan asked Rory what she wanted for supper. She told him to just find something in the freezer that Ms. Lewis left and heated it up. "I'm going to lie down. I'm not feeling well." Rory said as she headed up the stairs. Logan turned from the kitchen to the basement. When he got to the movie room he asked Karson to warm up one of Ms. Lewis' dishes and fix a salad. He and Rory would be down in a few.
Logan walked up the stairs. He was trying to figure out how to tell Rory that he needed to be in London for a few days. When he got to the bedroom Rory was laying on top of the covers. Her back was to him. He walked around to her side of the bed and kneeled down.
"Ace, Baby, Don't go to sleep yet. I need to talk to you." Logan said as he put his hand on her shoulder.
Rory opened her eyes. "I wasn't asleep yet." She moved over for Logan to sit down.
"The phone call I was on before Christopher and Lana arrived was with Bobbi and Hank. We have a problem in the London office. Bobbi and Hank had discovered some numbers that do not add up. Bobbi thinks that one of the office managers in France has embezzled five million dollars. At least that is what is not accounted for. She wants me to look over everything before they involve the law enforcement….I really need to go. I don't want to put this off and ruin the summer flying back and forth." He told Rory. He was afraid to look her in the eye. She didn't want to see the disappointment. Rory lay there with her eyes closed.
"I would really like for you to come along, but I know you have too much on your plate right now." He said.
Rory opened her eyes and looked at Logan. "It's fine Logan, I understand."
"Ace, in the last few years, I have picked good people to head up my different divisions so I would not have to jet-set all over the place, all of the time. For me to have to go this time is necessary." He told her.
"I said I understand. When do you leave.?" She asked.
"I fly out on the 18th. Hopefully, this can be taken care of in just a couple of days. I am taking Dillon with me and I am increasing security." Rory took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She reached up to Logan and pulled his face to hers.
"I love you Logan Huntzburger," She said as kissed him.